


You Believe Me?

by Ghostinthehouse



Series: Demon and Angel Professors [157]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Professors, Crowley is Good With Kids (Good Omens), Disabled Crowley (Good Omens), Gen, Genderfluid Character, Nonbinary Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:09:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29250489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostinthehouse/pseuds/Ghostinthehouse
Summary: Cass stepped out of the main doors, turned to go down the path and almost tripped over a new first year hunched against the wall. "Hey, you ok?" they said, suddenly starkly aware of Dr Crowley saying the same thing to them two years before in exactly the same place.One-shot
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Demon and Angel Professors [157]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1412962
Comments: 26
Kudos: 510





	You Believe Me?

Cass stepped out of the main doors, turned to go down the path and almost tripped over a new first-year hunched against the wall. "Hey, you ok?" they said, suddenly starkly aware of Dr Crowley saying the same thing to them two years before in exactly the same place.

The first-year looked up. Eyes shadowed by spiky brown hair flicked over Cass and settled momentarily on their pronoun pin. "I will be."

"First day overwhelm?"

"No," the kid sighed, coming upright. Hands brushed the dust from a blue dress and Cass saw the she/her pin on one shoulder. "Dysphoria."

"Ah." Cass smiled crookedly, understanding, and glanced at the pin.

The first-year covered it. "Not accurate right now. I'm, uh, genderfluid and um, it just shifted. He/him please?"

Cass nodded, acknowledging his request. "You'll get trampled if you stay here," they said instead. "There's a bench just down the path, though."

"Thanks."

Cass nodded again and started to leave, before turning back. They didn't expect to be believed, but... "If people give you trouble, Dr Fell's a good person to go to. Or Dr Crowley. He's..." they lowered their voice, "not as vicious as rumours like to make out."

To their surprise, the first-year grinned suddenly. "Oh," he said, a tremble of laughter in his voice, "I know _that_."

Cass rocked back on their heels in shock. "You - believe me?"

"Yeah, of course. Thanks for the info." The first-year took off down the path before Cass could find words to respond, his dress flapping around his knees.

***

Crowley was setting up for a lesson in the greenhouse when the door opened and someone slipped through. He glanced up just enough to register that it wasn't Aziraphale or one of his professor friends and snapped, "What?"

"I was hoping," a light voice said, shyly, "you might have a pronoun pin I could borrow?"

He turned properly at that, took in the dress, and raised an eyebrow. "Which pronouns?"

"He/him." The kid swallowed, but didn't seem at all scared. "I'm genderfluid, but I only really figured it out last year, and uh, it shifted when I wasn't expecting..."

Crowley took two careful steps and pulled open the top left drawer of the seed cabinet. He pulled out a spare he/him pin left from pride, and tossed it to the kid. "Here."

The kid's face lit up and he charged. Crowley saw him coming just in time to drop onto a bench before the kid hugged him.

He gritted his teeth and endured it for a moment, squeezing back briefly before peeling the kid off him. "Word of advice, kid. Don't hug your professors without warning. What name are you going by?"

"It's still Jess, for now," he said with an apologetic shrug. "I haven't found anything I like better."

Crowley recognised him then. "You've grown some," he grumbled, kneading his knee where the sudden drop had jarred it, "but not changed. Aren't you on my student list?"

"Botany, yeah. You got me interested with this." Jess waved his arms at the whole of the greenhouse.

"Then you know where the overalls are kept for rough work," Crowley said and pointed. "Borrow a pair if it helps, and then wait outside with the others. In future, I recommend you carry a jacket or something, and spare pins. Don't expect me to treat you differently because we've met before."

Jess grinned conspiratorialy. "Wouldn't dream of it! Thanks!"

And then he was gone, running off through the greenhouse, like the small child he had once been before Crowley could summon more than a splutter of protest.

Instead, he sighed silently, kneaded his forehead where a headache was threatening to form, and closed his eyes for a long moment behind his dark glasses. This was boding fit to be a very long year, and it had only just started.The lessons still had to be taught, though, so he got up cautiously and limped off to finish the preperations.


End file.
